Grace will lead me home
by EleniDalby
Summary: Grace Augustine's niece wants to say goodbye to her aunt but things are never really quite that simple. Rated 'T' for language mainly though some adult situations may crop up in later chapters. Spellman/OC. I don't own Avatar.
1. Prologue

A/N: - I can't believe I'm writing this. The title is a quote, I don't own it. Brownie points if you can find where it's from. Oh and this is all pretty much plot less by the way, just to warn you.

Prologue

Dappled sunlight broke through the canopy in fits and starts, turning the air to an almost foggy green with slits of bright golden light. Jake tried hard not to grin, pressing himself closer to the soft moss, the bark of the tree he was clung too as his eyes swept the clearing. He barely moved, barely breathed, his elegant ears turning slightly, twitching as the breeze brought a whole new cacophony of smells and scents. With careful, even delicate, motions he started to move closer to his prey, eyes narrowing in utter focus, his breath tightly held, tail low to the ground as not to bat at any of the foliage around him. Slowly he raised his hands and –

"Do not even think about it." Jake let out his breath in a quick rush, letting his large hands fall with a slap against his thighs as he looked down half frustrated and half amused, at his life-mate.

"Am I _ever_ gonna get that?" He asked, putting more exasperation into his voice than he felt as he squatted beside her, quietly staggered once again by how incredibly beautiful she was as she looked over at him with complete loving tenderness before raising a hand and patting the side of his face rather roughly.

"You make too much noise, Jake." Neytiri laughed gently at his expression, leaning over to kiss his rather pouty lower lip. He still made gestures, pulled faces sometimes that were so…_human_…but they were getting less frequent and where other Omaticaya found those expressions creepy, she found them endlessly endearing. "You will learn…eventually." She teased, laughing outright when he pounced on her anyway, his large, expressive hands tickling her playfully. Even though she was to be the sombre spiritual leader of her people, once her mother deemed her fit, her life with Jake was good, she had never laughed so much before him. Still. The playful game finished with her above him, straddling and pinning him easily. She was right, of course, he had improved…it had been three years since he had been a Na'vi, one of the Omaticaya, complete and whole, no longer a dream-walker and his skills as a warrior, as a hunter in the sky, had improved far beyond her expectations. He even smelled like one of them now, not some alien half-thing.

"Ok, ok I get the point." Jake grouched from underneath her, squirming, but not too much, to get free. Neytiri let him go, sitting back and placing her hands on her hips.

"The point being?" She asked, voice full and rich with amusement. Jake tried not to let himself get lost in the lyrical tones in her voice or the depth of her eyes but he couldn't help himself as their fingers laced together.

"Neytiri is the bomb?" He replied, laughing outright as she frowned. Sometimes, just sometimes it was nice to confuse her with an old fashioned term from Earth…he thought he was forgetting them all. "I mean, Neytiri is always right?"

"Finally, you're learning." She tried, he could see, to be serious, but her smile broke through, broad and flirtatious – he'd tried to find other words for 'flirtatious', not an easy thing for an ex-marine (sometimes he still thought of himself that way, when he wasn't paying attention) but it was the best he could come up with. "It only took a handful of years." She leaned towards him and a shard of golden light fell across her skin, creating a shining blue aura, a tiny patch that he desperately wanted to kiss but her lips caught his and -

"Uh, guys." Norm, clearing his throat and trying not to look at the couple, hands in his pockets and elbows as awkward as ever, appeared at the entry way of their little getaway. "Everyone's waiting for you, there's news over at the uh tree of souls." He thumbed over his shoulder, glancing over but looking away again quickly. "I'll see you down there." He disappeared as quickly as he had come up. Jake smiled to himself, just a little sadly. He was surprised at how much Norman Spellman had adapted, still in his human form, to life amongst the Na'vi. The human doctor, lanky and just a little gangly, had become sleeker, more honed, since the other humans had left but Jake could see the hurt in the back of Norms eyes, the wish that he could once again be the driver of his own avatar. There was nothing to stop Norm, and the other humans who had been deemed safe (or loved) enough to stay with the Omaticaya, going back to the military come corporation base that was slowly but surely being taken over by the forest that it had once sought to dominate. The base still held it's technologies, it's computers, files, ways and means…and the avatars of course, kept fed and healthy by volunteers from the humans who had been permitted to stay…Norm seemed to keep away. Jake always meant to talk to him about that.

The couple stood up together, one helping the other, moving across the platforms that now formed the Omaticaya's home. Since the destruction of Hometree, the Omaticaya had decided to stay put, setting up a semi-permanent camp around the tree of souls, the Ayvitraya Ramunong, living in tents made from the giant leaves of the forests around them, bound together with the dried out entrails of the Yerik, a deer-like creature, a substance which was tougher than any human-made rope. If a Na'vi had to kill something, then he or she made certain that the whole of that creature would be used, every last spec…it was only respectful.

Jake smiled to himself as he followed Neytiri across the plateaus at an easy lope. He was so very proud of the people that had become his own, his own tribe, his own _family_.

Anyone watching would realise how _neatly_ the pair fit together, how one would compensate for the other, how small touches would constantly be passing between the two and how, even though they were constantly alert and watching their surroundings, they were utterly focused on each other. Neytiri stopped suddenly, letting Jake over take her, just so she could catch hold of his tail and be pulled along, causing a laugh to burst from her lover as he span, still running, to face her. She thumped into his chest and together the pair tumbled into the main clearing that surrounded the tree of souls. Jake glanced up and – for a moment – ignored the slightly disapproving stares of the people around them. He always had the distinct impression, now, that the tree was somehow…_happier_ when he was around…or maybe _he_ was happier around the tree? Neytiri cleared her throat and sprang – almost literally – to her feet in a display of agile grace that nearly distracted Jake from pretty much everything. Sometimes being in love with the perfect woman made it a little difficult to concentrate.

"Jshake Soolee?" A warrior, called Ansit, one whom Jake had come to know and respect after the battle spoke, accent a little thicker than the others for a reason that he hadn't quite picked up yet.

"What? What's wrong?" Jake asked, pausing in the act of brushing off the debris he'd picked up. Ansit looked squarely at him, and the graveness of the Na'vi's face took on a deeper set…the look in his eyes made the hairs on the back of Jakes neck rise, a feeling that intensified as the warrior spoke plainly.

"The sky people have returned."


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: - Hate to leave you hangin' TopKat90 ;)

Chapter One

"See." Ansit gestured towards the sky, visible through an opening in the canopy of leaves above them, which was starting to turn a dusky blue under the onslaught of night, still visible were four distinct vapour trails, the trails of a people carrier. Jake felt something in his chest tighten as he stared. "Something exploded over there, two hours ago." He gestured the way. Jake, like the others, had already lifted his face to the skies, making a sharp, cat-like sound, smiling when he recognised the returning cry. His very own Ikran, his mountain banshee, landed elegantly in front of him, the rather monstrous looking creature making a sound that could almost be described as a purr as he patted its neck, raising the braid of his hair in order to bond with it. He breathed outwards as the bond, which came faster than he could ever imagine now, washed over him and their awareness's washed together. He lifted his face to the skies, felt the Ikran beneath him tense as the stepped upwards into the air, the wind swept past him, his hand tightening on one of the antenna of the bird, the other one free in the air. For a moment, just a moment, he allowed himself to forget the problem that had reared its ugly head and lost himself in the freedom of flying. Beneath him the Ikran banked, following the others and Jake opened his eyes again, becoming the fearless leader once more as his Ikran pulled out to level with Neytiri's, she looked at him as they flew, anyone else would think it was just a glance to see if he was alright but Jake could see the myriad of questions that lurked behind her eyes, barred by her lips and kept in check only by dignified will.

"Look! Down there!" One of the warriors pointed out, beneath them, through the canopy they now drifted above, was a party of Na'vi, moving swiftly on their steeds of Direhorse.

"Hmm. Hardly worth coming out." Jake murmured. He only had to glance over to Neytiri, communicating without having to speak that they should wheel back. He squinted as the wind briefly cut up under his flying glasses as Ikran turned gracefully, diving with long practiced and much loved skill through the complicated network of forest branches, vines and creepers. He was aware that Neytiri was flying close by, laughing as he tried to avoid both her and the trees. It was a game they had started playing last year…she always won. They landed lightly together in the clearing around the tree of souls, as the scout party arrived, alighting from their steeds gracefully.

"Find anything?" Jake asked as he jumped from the Ikran, feeling the warm earth beneath his feet once more – never taking that feeling for granting – and bracing himself as the creature took off, blasting them all with back draft.

"There was a human ship, half destroyed, it looked like it had crash landed. We found a human. One. No more." One of the warriors replied, gesturing over his shoulder. The warriors parted en masse, revealing their captive who was held between two.

"Grace Augustine!" The human, a woman yelled between gasping for air.

"She hasn't shut up since we found her." One of the warrior women spoke, wrinkling her nose and letting her lip curl in disgust. "I'd forgotten how much humans smell."

"Hey!" One of the humans who had chosen to stay, yelled up.

"No offence intended." The warrior murmured, sharing a look with Jake that made them both smile.

"Grace Augustine! Grace Augustine!" The human woman was still yelling, panicked and wide eyed, struggling awkwardly, her hands were tied to the top of her head. Jake leaned down and re-adjusted her glasses, they _had_ been perched at an odd angle…one of the lenses was shattered. "Grace-

"Fnu!" Neytiri raised a hand, her voice harsh and low. "Quiet." She grated out, using the English that hadn't been spoken for such a long time.

"Yup, ok, whatever you say." The woman panted out, seeming almost relieved to be allowed to sink to her knees, gulping at the air…or rather, gulping at the air that her oxygen mask was providing. "Do you speak any more English than that?" She asked, looking up and then further up still as she misjudged the height. "wow. Tall."

"She doesn't look like Army." Jake murmured, more to himself than anyone else. He was surprised, shocked even, to see that another human being had dared to come to Pandora…and so _early,_ so soon after the war that had torn the Na'vi, his people apart. "Or government…" He stared at the human for a moment. She had her eyes shut, lips moving as if she was praying before she started speaking.

"Uh, k-kawrr nume, um, Na'vi, uh yeah, kawarr nume Na'vi…or, uh, quite possibly kawrr nume Omaticaya considering your dialects are so different and -." She broke off, looking around the clearing at the uncomprehending and slightly hostile faces around her, swallowing hard she lowered her voice. "I'm looking for Grace Augustine…I had to find out if it was true about her…about her…about…" The woman broke off, letting her head drop. "So she's dead then?" She managed to make herself sound completely clinical and dry though they couldn't see her face anymore. Slowly Jake knelt down, leaning down further still, bringing his face down to her level, he could feel the eyes of the tribe on him. She was maybe mid-twenties, tall but running more to round than lithe, blue eyed and blonde that was almost strawberry hair scraped back into a low tail that was starting to come out into a mad frizz, bubbling over the straps of the oxygen mask she wore strapped to the thick khaki trousers and shirt she wore…one boot was missing from her feet, revealing a pink fluffy sock with the words 'snuggle-time bear on the edge'. There was something, just _something_ about her…perhaps it was the narrowness of her nose, or the shape of her mouth…and something, definitely something in her scent.

"Who are you?" Jake asked, eyes narrowed as he sat back on his heels. The woman's jaw dropped open as she raised her head sharply to look at him.

"You _do_ speak English. American accent. Cool." The woman nodded slightly, difficult considering her hands were still tied. "Did you learn that from the base that was here? From Grace Augustine's school?" She looked up into his eyes. "Does that name mean _anything_ to you?" She fired questions at him, one after the other, as if she wasn't kneeling in the dirt with one shoe, as if she wasn't a small, almost child-like figure surrounded by superior warriors.

"Are you her daughter?" Jake asked quietly, rocking back slightly at the explosion of laughter – louder, raucous and not at all what he was expecting.

"Me?" The laughter died down. "Oooh hell no. She was my aunt. My name is Hope Augustine, my mom was Charity, she was a feminist, didn't want me to have my dads name." She rambled on, Jake could see the fatigue in her…had he ever looked so fragile? Maybe she had just come out of stasis or cryo?

"Hope, daughter of Charity." Jake said flatly. "And your aunt was Grace?"

"Family joke." She replied, trying to shrug but restricted by the ropes. " 'Aunt _was_ Grace'" She repeated, trying to mimic his voice. "Cunning use of the past tense there. Can you get rid of these? I mean, honestly, do I look like a threat to you?" She looked down at herself and Jake followed her gaze, bending over to pick up the glasses that slipped from her nose. "Thanks." She murmured as he picked them up.

"What is that?" Neytiri picked the glasses from him, speaking in Na'vi as she turned them over for her hands. "These are for flying yes?" She looked down at Hope Augustine. "She is a pilot?" She asked, her voice clearly disbelieving.

"No." Jake took the glasses from her and carefully placed them on Hopes face once more. He'd never before realised how tiny and delicate human things were, he could have crushed those glasses easily. "They're for seeing, her eyes aren't strong enough."

"How your race survived…" Neytiri murmured to herself and Jake smiled to himself, knowing she was only playing.

"Why are you here?" He asked. Hope stared up at him, blinking owlishly. "How many more of you are there? Did any platoons come with you? Corporations? Governm-"

"I came on my own. To learn." The words made Jakes teeth grit together, drawing blood from the inside of his cheek. How he remembered the mocking echo of his own words, his own betrayal as he said that many years ago. "To see Grace and to learn."

"Learn. About what?" He heard the steel in his voice as he stood up, "about the Na'vi? Is there more of us coming?" He asked sharply.

"Us?" She looked up at him, comprehension dawning in her eyes. "Us? Damn you're Jake Sully! No, no there's no one else coming. She sent for me years ago…I've been in Stasis, cryo, stasis, what do you actually _call_ it when they put you to sleep and wake you up and tell you it's five years later?" She was struggling again, trying to get to her feet.

"Find her somewhere to rest, make sure she's fed but don't let her go." Jake ordered in Na'vi,

"Wait! Wait I need to talk to you about Grace!" The woman who called herself Hope yelled as she was dragged away, fighting against the hands that held her gently and firmly. "I need to talk to you! They told me she was dead! That everyone was dead!" Jake glanced over at her with a frown before she was taken out of sight.

"So?" Neytiri prompted, every line and curve in her body seemed tensed as she looked at Jake for answers.

"Norm? Anyone seen Norm?" Jake asked. There was general murmuring and shifting to the negative. "Someone go find Norm, get him to talk to this Hope woman, he knew more about Grac-" Sudden, unexpected grief tightened Jakes throat and he coughed, clearing it. "Just find him." One or two of the warriors detached themselves from the group and loped off into the foliage, leaving the circle of firelight and becoming bio-luminescent in the beautifully dim light, cast by the planet that perpetually loomed overhead. Jake turned back to Neytiri. "We'll talk to this woman in the morning and decide what to do then."

* * *

Norman Spellman, former botanist turned teacher of English to the Na'vi, looked up at the repaired unit that still held three of the machines used for turning humans into Avatar pilots. After the others had left, the Omaticaya and the humans that remained, had spent a lot of time fixing the unit, sealing up the window that had been shattered in the fight and straightening out the metal. It served as a medical unit for ill humans, as a place they could go to breathe without aid of their masks and, occasionally, a place for couples that had formed. Now it served as a prison. Norm tried to ignore the fact that his hands were shaking as he stepped into the airlock, balancing two crude plates on one arm in order to remove his mask as soon as the red light turned green. He knocked on the door politely before entering, looking around to see a woman, curvy, blonde, one lens of her glasses shattered, sat on the edge of one of the machines, her feet dangling off the floor.

"Uh. Hi. I'm Norm Spellman." He attempted a smile. Jake had been right, there _was_ something about her that reminded him of Grace…a slightly younger, much less cynical Grace but there was something. "I used to work with Grace."

"So there are humans here too." She muttered. "I'm Hope, her niece."

"I know." He smiled at her, nodding, watching as she stared at him before letting her head tilt to one side – just like Grace, he found himself thinking. "Uh, I bought you something to eat." He lifted the two platters to indicate them. "I was starving when I first woke up."

"Hmm." She pretty much grunted, staring dispassionately at the plates.

"How come you only arrived just now?" Norm asked, placing them on the desk in front of her, stepping back as she stood up, leaning forward to poke at the food experimentally.

"She called for me a few years back, I had to save the money…I guess…I was asleep, three, maybe four years ago when all this happened?" Hope murmured, straightening out and sucking her finger to clean it off. Norm didn't say anything, shuffling his feet awkwardly when she finally looked at him for the first time, the one eye he could see through the none-shattered glass burning bright blue. "Look I woke up from stasis, cryo - whatever the hell they call it I woke up and they told me that everything had gone _wrong_ on Pandora." She was yelling now and obviously didn't care, walking towards him as she yelled making sharp gesticulations. "_Wrong_, do you understand? No telling me that the indigenous population had over-run, no telling me that the base had been abandoned, _nothing_." She reached out and grabbed his shoulders and shook him with more force than he thought would be possible from her. She was a lot smaller than he was. "Tell me about Grace." She breathed, letting him go with an obvious effort, raising her hands. "_Please_." Norm bit a thumb nail, waving to the Na'vi, to his friends, who stood outside to tell them that everything was alright. One of them had rapped a spear against the shaky window, causing a small puff of toxic air to set the alarms off before the oxygen unit compensated. Outside, the warriors reluctantly lowered their weapons, settling down slowly…the memory of the death of the Hometree was still fresh enough to cause grief and more than a little hatred. Norm was actually comforted by the fact that they were outside.

"Alright...alright" He said to Hope, pushing her gently to sit down on the edge of the machine once more, kneeling in front of her. "I'll tell you about Grace."


	3. Chapter 2

"How long are you here for?"

"What are you here for?"

"When are you leaving?"

"Wow. This is such a warm welcome." Hope murmured, under her breath of course…everyone around her, including her fellow humans (although 'fellow' wasn't something she'd usually apply to a bunch of people who were glaring at her with utter hatred. Except for Norm) were a foot and then some taller than her. She couldn't help but be aware of how many people were staring. She _hated_ being watched. "I paid them to come back for me in two weeks. I'm here to learn, I'm a botanist by hobby, and I'm here to visit my aunt. I think there might be files she wrote, notes on her findings. If there's any technology left I'd like to take a look." She breathed out in one long breath, aware that she sounded defensive and not entirely caring as she looked around at the ring of hostile faces. Of _course_ she had heard of the Na'vi, the Omaticaya, her aunt had babbled on about how fabulous and wondrous they were…and Grace Augustine didn't babble. Of course, Hope had heard how beautiful and graceful they were, she just hadn't expected them to be so…big. And scary. And hostile looking. She didn't bother following the babble of Na'vi – a complicated language with many nuances and rhythms that she'd tried and failed to learn – instead she stared at open curiosity at the one she knew had once been human, Jake Sully. Grace had informed her – in a long email that had taken too long to arrive – that she had been expecting some thick headed trigger happy soldier to join her team…Hope had been told by the people who had brought her here that Jake Sully had turned traitor on the entire human race. He didn't seem like an idiot _or_ a traitor…yet. He levelled a gaze at her that went straight through her.

"You said you're a botanist by hobby? What do you _do_?" He asked, his voice firm and level, the tones of a trained soldier.

"I'm a doctor, I treat the sick." Norms head snapped up as she clarified in return, not entirely sure as to why she was being honest, though it probably had something to do with the arrows trained lazily on her or the looks of contempt she kept getting.

"We know what a doctor is." Jake waved a hand. "How come you're here alone? Where are the others?" He watched as her teeth gritted, she made a gesture that made her look just like her Aunt. The only thing missing was a cigarette.

"No one wants to set foot on Pandora any more, I was jettisoned of in this…escape shuttle thing." She glared up at him. "They said I was going to die."

"Jake, Jake, Jake." Norm pushed his way through to the leader, spluttering over the native language as he spoke urgently. "She's a doctor, for us you know? After Colin broke his arm-"

"She's only here two weeks, Norm. If you want her to heal people in that time-"

"It's worth a shot." Norm interrupted firmly, showing, briefly, a flare of the stubbornness that had sent him through the war. "Seriously. His arm is starting to smell."

"Gangrene?"

"I…I don't know. We're all scientists, botanists and researchers…not _doctor _doctors." Both Norm and Jake turned to face Hope who's look of avid concentration quickly turned to a suspicious frown.

"What?" She asked, voice low and body tense. Jake opened his mouth to speak.

"If we let you stay, if we feed you and lead you to Grace, will you…we've got people here, humans, who are ill." Norm blurted, interrupting Jake before he'd even had a chance to speak.

"Of course." Hope said quickly in reply, her eyes darting from Jake to Norman, aware that someone had stepped out of line as Jake glared at the back of his friends head before his gaze shifted to Hope.

"You'll be fed, sheltered and led to Grace. You keep busy, you keep out of the way and you do _not_ communicate with anyone off planet, do you understand me?" He said firmly, any hint of humour or even humanity gone from his face, his eyes cold and flat.

"I understand." Hope murmured, trying to keep as demure as she could. "What about her notes? Grace must have left a laptop? A computer of some kind-"

"No." Jake interrupted harshly with a firm gesture. Neytiri stepped forward, putting a hand on his chest and shoulder.

"You couldn't read it anyway." Norm murmured, trying to sound placating. "It's in some kind of code-" Hope waved him away.

"Part Latin, part Spanish and part Gaelic, yes I know. Jake, Mr Sully, I don't know what I'm supposed to call you but _look_ she was a scientist, a teacher. She was a great lady and a discoverer of god-knows-what…the world, _my_ world now I guess, could know what it was that she discovered and learned if I can get access to the comp-"

"And once you have access?" Jake was only kept from stepping forward by Neytiri who was watching the both of them with narrowed eyes and a look of understanding. "What then? Will you send the maps that the colonel created back to some corporation? Some government?"

"No, I-"

"Will you be away from here when they come back? When they destroy the home we have been forced to rebuild because of human stupidity?"

"No-"

"Jake." Neytiri said quietly, sliding her hand down to take hold of his own. "We are afraid, Hope Augustine, that all we have striven for will be destroyed…letting you access the…computers is too much of a risk." She shook her head, her expression a little sad but most certainly determined. "Come away, Jake. Come with me." She tugged at Jakes arm and he reluctantly turned away.

"Damn it." Hope sighed heavily watching after them before raising a hand to her head and wiping a streak of dirt across her forehead. "So." She turned on the spot, relieved that the other Na'vi were starting to move away. "Sick folk?" She asked, looking directly at Norm, the one human who actually seemed to know what was going on.

"Uh, right this way." He gestured, stepping back as she strode past, impotent anger making her move fast. Norm followed on behind, occasionally calling out directions that sounded more like suggestions. "I'm surprised you didn't want to see Grace first." He said innocently and nearly walked the back of her when she stopped.

"If I see Grace first I'm not going to be able to concentrate on helping people." She spoke, suddenly very quiet, turning round to look up at him.

"You didn't cry last night, when I told you…I thought…" He trailed off as, for a brief moment, he saw the depth of grief in her before she composed herself, looking down and running a hand over the mad frizz of her hair.

"Yes. I'm sure you did think." She said in tones so acidic that it caused him to take a step back before she looked up with a slight smile, an expression much warmer than that of her aunt. Norm found himself smiling in return, sliding his hands into his back pockets. "So…?"

"Hm?" He blinked at her question. "Oh! Yeah, right, we're here." He gestured to a large, red tent which glowed a soft, warm colour thanks to the fire lit and carefully tended inside. "If people are really sick they get moved up to the unit you were in last night, if they're just…if they're not so bad they come here." He explained, lifting open the doorway for her. Hope ducked inside and straightened out, looking round at the wide circular room. There were beds laid out at intervals, the feet pointing towards the fire, there were a good ten or twelve beds but only half of them were filled, a couple of people – obviously visitors – ambled around and a tall Na'vi stoked the fire.

"Alright." Hope breathed, reaching up to take the bobble out of her hair and re-tie the blonde mass back, approaching something close to an orderly, neat look. "Alright, I need hot water, something to use as bandages and, oooh lets say, a little light that I can carry round without risk of setting fire to patients or walls." She looked up at Norm who blinked at her. Hope grinned. "Congratulations, you've just been promoted to Chief Nurse."


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: - sorry for not updating sooner. I learned to crotchet yesterday and anyone who does that knows how much you DON'T want to type afterwards

Chapter three

"How's she doing?" Jake called out, watching Norm walk past with a pitcher of water for what was possibly the eighth time that day. The once-scientist looked grateful for the interruption and walked over to sit beside him on one of the twisted roots. Jake shifted over, aware of how much bigger he was as Na'vi, and adjusted his grip on the pole of wood that he was calmly shaving into a wicked looking point, the slivers of which lay around his feet like fallen autumn leaves.

"Remember how Grace used to be when she was _really_ into something? That sort of 'do this or die' expression she used to have?" The corner of Norms mouth pulled up in a half grin as he watched Jake shape the stick into a weapon. "She's got four of them diagnosed, she's had Colin moved up to the Unit and I'm running ragged trying to keep up." Norm looked down at the pitcher of water in his hands, wondering how long it would take him to get back to the creek where the water ran pure and clear if he upended the entire lot over his head.

"Yup." Jake grinned in return. "Sounds like a relative of Grace." His smile fell away as he looked up, glancing over at the tent. "Do you think she's trustworthy?" He asked, keeping it low.

"Honestly? I don't know." Norm shrugged. "One minute I think she's a genius – the way she's used the leave of the Rumut into bandages is just amazing, did you know they produce a natural kind of anaesthesia – and the next I just wanna-" The pitcher in his hands jiggled, threatening to spill its contents as he mimicked strangling. Jake huffed a laugh and shook his head. Norm had proved himself a great fighter but Jake knew that the scientist had a gentle heart…he'd watched Norm nurse a viperwolf back to health, the snarling nasty looking thing followed him around like a tame dog.

"Emotionally compromised."

"That's a really fancy way of saying she annoys the living daylights out of me." Norm shook his head, relaxing again. "She's been here a day and she's driving me crazy." He huffed a sigh, unaware of Jakes sharp look. The door-flap of the tent opened up and Hope stuck her head out.

"Are you coming with that water or what?" She snapped, her voice carrying easily across the clearing before she ducked back inside. Norm sighed heavily and turned to face his friend.

"So do we have any of those poison tip arrows left?" He asked casually. Jake laughed and shoved his friend – carefully – off his perch on the roots. Norm hefted the pitcher, holding it against his stomach, and waddled with it across the clearing. He nearly dropped the thing when Hope came rushing out, securing something that looked like a medical pack around her shoulder and hip.

"Where are you going?" She asked, almost breathlessly.

"Uh, water?" He lifted the jug.

"We're going to see the guy that broke his arm, whatsisname, Colin?" She frowned at him, shaking her head as if he had done something profoundly stupid. Norm gritted his teeth and, in his minds eye, hit her with the water jug. "I need someone who knows the place, knows which plants are poison and which ones are-"

"I will come." Neytiri rose elegantly to her feet from where she had been crouched with a group of children, tail twitching slightly for balance.

"Thank you." Hope interrupted everyone who had opened their mouths to protest. Jake caught his lovers arm and the look they shared caused most to turn away, such love should not be looked upon by many. The hike up to the Unit wasn't as far as Hope had thought and the relief of getting her oxygen mask off was enormous but short lived as she ordered the definitely unconscious Colin to be taken outside.

"What? Why?"

"Because from what you've said, Neytiri is a shaman, a kind of healing woman…she may be able to help." Hope said as she secured a mask over Colin's face. Once outside they laid him down on a soft bed of moss and Hope quickly, but with surprising gentleness, removed the bandages. "Lord in heaven-"

"God!" Norm turned away as the _smell_ pretty much filled the entire clearing, even through the oxygen mask there was a subtle-as-a-brick hint. The break in Colin's arm was severe, leaving it laying at a crazy ankle and angry purple bruise gave way to a lighter green that eventually darkened down to near black. "Do you have a sharp knife?" Hope asked without even looking up. Neytiri took the dagger – small for her, but large for Hope – from the strap that ran across the centre of her chest. Norm _just_ had time to process what she was going to do before he turned away, not before catching a glimpse of the knife digging into putrid flesh. The scientist heaved. "Oh don't be such a baby, the tissue's long dead, he won't…feel a thing."

"Yup. Sure." Norm coughed, regretted it and turned back round, trying not to watch as she did her job. "Water, please, Norm." She instructed, her voice curiously gentle as she held out a free hand. Norm soaked a scrap of fabric in the jug, wringing it out before handing it over to her, watching as she gently wiped away some gore. "Back home on Earth they sometimes use…small white insects, that ate the flesh of dead things." She handed the rag back gently and Norm knew enough to rinse it out. "Doctors often use…them to facilitate healing-"

"You're going to put _maggots_ in him?" Norm blurted, turning a whiter shade of pale.

"They'll eat the dead tissue and leave the healthy stuff clean." Hope pushed him away with an arm. "Go on, I'm sure you can find some somewhere…or an equivalent maybe. I don't know if you have anything." She looked at Neytiri, her face questioning as her voice trailed off.

"We have a creature like the one you describe, they're called Man'yna, ask my mother and she will take you where you can find them." Neytiri nodded at Norm, clearly dismissing him. The scientist turned and staggered away, almost tripping over Jake on the way back.

"What's wro-"

"Maggots." Norm said, face white and obviously quite repulsed. "They want me to bring her maggots."

"You know most women ask for flowers." Jake sniggered, watching with knowing eyes as Norm started to turn red. "It all started when I bought her maggots-"

"Don't be disgusting, Jake-"

"_Wheeeeen the moon hits her eye like a big pizza pie_!" Jake warbled off key, running easily ahead of Norm who chased after him, bright red and spluttering threats. "_That's amoreee_!"

"Shut up shut up shut up!" Neytiri and Hope looked up and watched in silence as Norm and Jake ran past. The two females shared a look (one that – as it turned out – was pretty universal for 'men are such babies') before turning back to their work.

"It seems to me that humans inside are much the same as Na'vi." Neytiri commented quietly, watching Hope's hands move with hawk-like concentration.

"Fundamentally there is a _lot_ the same…however – pass me that will you please? Thanks – there are a couple of things different…toxicity of blood, variations in cardio-vascular function-" Neytiri held up a hand with a small smile.

"Nothing you say to me is making sense." She smiled and Hope huffed out a laugh.

"And you're not the first to say that." Hope looked up. "_Norm_!" She snapped, levelling a glare at him. "Anytime today would be good if that's not too much of an inconvenience." Norm turned, shrugging off her glare, before punching Jake not-so-playfully in the leg, and jogging off. Hope sighed and shook her head, turning back to what she was doing.

"Why are you so angry all the time?" Neytiri interrupted. Hope glanced up into a face full of wisdom and very nearly got caught up and hypnotised in a gaze that seemed hundreds of years old…and yet, Neytiri was young for a Na'vi.

"I just lost my Aunt." She ground out, looking back down at the wound.

"I am sorry."

"Don't be."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

It was getting towards dusk when they finally left Colin in the Unit, sleeping peacefully and no longer at risk of blood poisoning. It was roughly the same time when Norm staggered out and heaved his meagre lunch into the bushes, accidentally breathing in some of the toxic atmosphere as he coughed before slipping the mask on again. A hand touched gently on his back and Hope offered him a gourd of water with a gently understanding expression.

"You must really think I'm pathetic, huh?" Norm asked before swilling his mouth, lifting the mask to spit out. He was surprised by the kind smile she levelled at him, her eyes taking on a sort of…guarded warmth, a look that had never bestowed her aunt.

"Not really. I fainted on my first gangrenous case and I'm impressed you managed to hold it all in this long." She spoke and shrugged, looking back over her shoulder where Neytiri was conversing in Na'vi with some of the others. "Is there somewhere I can get a wash? Do you have bath houses or something?" Norm laughed, getting to his feet shakily, taking the hand she offered and exerting perhaps a little too much pressure as she staggered.

"There's a creek we use, it's only a little way from here." He looked down at himself and regretted it instantly, the colours that decorated both skin and clothes alone were enough to make his stomach turn, never mind the smell. "I think I could use a bath too." He smiled at her, a lopsided grin that he was surprised to see returned. "I'll go tell Neytiri." Hope watched him lope off on long legs and found herself thinking that he would move so much more quickly if he didn't slouch all the time. She folded her arms across her midriff, unmindful of anything sticky or slimy, and watched him talking to the Na'vi princess. He was clever, really clever, she knew from the easy way he wrapped Na'vi around himself and he looked so much more relaxed around them than with his human companions, as if it was easier for him to accept them than humans. That thought, for a reason she couldn't quite put her finger on, made her a little sad.

"All done?" She asked once he returned, jogging back over to her, now carrying a sharpened spear that Neytiri had handed to him, a good accompaniment to the small knife that never left the belt on his side.

"Yup." He grinned, looking for all the world like a little boy excited to be showing someone his adventures. "We're all good. It's that way." He pointed, gesturing that she should go first. _Such a gentleman_, Hope smiled to herself as she started off into the darkening forest. Light was rapidly failing and the forest was coming alive with a whole knew cacophony of sounds, yips and howls and noises that Hope didn't have words for. Around them shadows grew darker until, all of a sudden, everything became light. It was as if someone had flipped a switch and the whole place beamed, leaves turned into little beacons, flowers became great headlights in all shades…even the tiny bugs of the place became something wondrous and miraculous. Hope found herself humbled and disturbed by the beauty that surrounded them, wrapping her arms around herself as they walked. She turned slightly to look at Norm, making sure that he was still there, he barely made a sound as he walked.

"So…are we expected to bathe together?" Hope asked, wiry humour tainting her voice as she watched Norms ears turn red.

"Uh, no. No, you bathe, I'll guard you, when I bathe you can do the same for me." He stammered a little, realising that she wasn't listening anymore, her eyes had lit up as she stared ahead.

"God…is this really a Helicordian grove?" Hope reached out to touch one of the huge spiralling plants, their soft pink glow complimenting her skin tone. She didn't flinch when it retracted down to practically nothing with a dull, musical sound.

"Yeah." Norm found himself reflecting her grin as she turned to face him and tried to control himself. He cleared his throat. "Come on, it's a little further on." He indicated the way ahead with the spear he'd become used to carrying. Hopes grin died down to a smile as she turned and walked the way he indicated, pushing past the foliage.

"You must have been here a while, to pick up that accent." She called back over her shoulder, tripping over a log and bouncing upright as if nothing had ever happened, picking debris from her hair. Norm tried not to laugh, she lacked the…grace of her aunt.

"I have an accent? I hadn't noticed." He murmured without really thinking about it, reaching up to tap her with the spear, indicating a new path that was clear as daylight to him but she seemed to have trouble finding.

"Yeah, it's not thick or anything just…there…" Hope trailed off, distracted by something else. Norm smiled to himself, watching as she ran off up ahead, stopping at some common plant in order to study the leaves before he caught up and she reluctantly let it go. He'd forgotten how much of a shock the beauty of the forest at night could cause, he'd long ago become accustomed to it. "Whoa!" Hope nearly screamed in surprise, teetering on the edge of a glowing creek. Norm reached out with lightening reflexes and tugged her back, causing her to fall against him. "So we're here then." She said, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Yeah. Here." Norm tugged at a huge leaf, dislodging it from its parent and handing it to her. "These make good towels once you're done…you'll have to keep your oxygen mask on and the waters got…some chemicals in it that are a little different to water on earth so you'll be clean a little quicker and, uh, it's warm because it runs right down from-" Hope held up a hand to stop him, laying the leaf down on a rise.

"I get it, it's good stuff." She smiled. "So…you'll be where?" Norm actually started to blush, aware that he was doing so and trying not top.

"I'll be, um, about, uh, I'm going to be, er, watching out for thanators and Titanotheres and the like…they usually keep away from the creek but sometimes you get the odd one who just doesn't know any better." Norm thumbed over his shoulder and Hope grinned at him.

"As long as that's _all_ you're watching. Eyeballs out _there_ ok?" She turned her back on him, looking down at the softly glowing creek with complete want in her eyes.

"Right. I'll just, um, yeah." Norm darted off into the forest, glancing over his shoulder once in time to see Hope peeling off her shirt. She didn't care. She wouldn't have cared if the entire Na'vi population were watching – she stank, she was covered in someone else's blood and gore and all she wanted was to get clean.

She sank into the blissfully warm running water gingerly, one foot first and sighed in bliss when her feet touched the bottom and the water very nearly covered her shoulders. She put her head under the water, experiencing the strange feeling of being able to breathe still thanks to the mask. She resurfaced, took a huge breath of air and removed the mask before ducking back under, holding the mask above the water with one hand. Putting the thing back on, when she came up again, was easy, leisurely almost, and she delighted in sculling, lifting her feet to feel the water rushing past. Once she planted her feet again, creating another bright burst of luminescence and bracing herself against the gentle push of the creek, she look around, seeing that she seemed to be quite alone in this wondrous place. A small, white creature, something that looked like a furry jellyfish floated past gently, pausing only to alight on the tip of her nose before continuing in its journey. Hope's smile as she watched it faded quickly and she hauled herself out of the creek, drying off quickly with the makeshift towel Norm had given her before regretfully sliding her clothes back on. She tied her wet hair back into a low tail after squeezing it out and lifted her watch. To the casual observer it simply looked as if she was adjusting the time…

"Commander? Are you there?" She murmured, apparently to her watch. A small screen buzzed into life, giving her nothing but black and white fuzz for a moment before the picture sorted itself out and a haggard, tired looking man, whippet thin and balding, appeared.

"Ah, Augustine, good to see you." He smiled at her without any real feeling before letting it drop. "Report?"

"Nothing doing, sir." Hope sighed heavily, adjusting a tiny dial on the side of the watch to try and get a better picture. "They won't let me anywhere near the base facility. I can't-"

"Then try harder, Hope." The man said in a voice full of steel. "You know what will happen if you fail." The picture went black and Hope sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Right. Alright." She murmured to herself, pushing herself to her feet and heaving another sigh. "Norm?" She turned, looking into the trees and starting off in the direction that he had disappeared. "Norm?"

* * *

A/N: - sorry guys but that's the last update for three weeks, I'm off for that long. Thanks for reading up till now and I'll update again as soon as I get back ^_^ Thanks for r&r-ing!


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: - yep, I'm back. Yep, this is late. Yep, I'm sorry (:s). Yep I'm gonna continue to update. Yep this chapter's huge. Yep it's mainly filler. Yep I have the slightest glimmer of a plot. Maybe. Enjoy. Thanks to all who read, review, fave and alert ^_^ much luff :)

Chapter Five

"But why me?"

"Because she seems to like you." Neytiri replied calmly, though in honesty she was trying to keep her face as serene as she intended. She couldn't help but feel like history was repeating itself as she looked down at Norms frustrated face.

"But she's so – she likes me?" Norm's surprise tripped him up mid-anger, an odd look of delight warring with disbelief traversing his face. "You think so?" Neytiri straightened out, glancing over to where Jake loped into the clearing with long easy strides. Jake was fully settled into his body now, no longer afraid that he might be snapped back into his crippled human body at any moment. Unfortunately for Neytiri, his confidence and ease proved quite the distraction for her.

"She spits less poison at you than anyone else." She said her tone already distant as she watched Jake playfully fend off a few youngsters. "There's a feast tonight, it's the passing of the moon, make sure she stays out of trouble until then." With that the warrior woman ran to her lover, a smile stretching her lips. Norm huffed a sigh heavily conflicted.

"It's not fair." He muttered to himself, kicking a stone as he headed towards the medical tent, the last place he'd seen Hope. "Why do _I_ have to do it? Maybe I-I've got plans too? Stuff to do even." He flung his arms wide in an irritated gesture, ignorant of the amused stares he was attracting. "But nooo it's all 'go here, Norm' and 'do that, Norm' and-"

"Are you quite alright?" He looked up at the sound of a voice and his irritation vanished like a wisp of smoke on the breeze. Hope stood in front of the doorway to the tent. She was still wearing her oxygen mask, had too really, but she'd somehow managed to tame the wild frizz of her hair into soft curls that she'd scraped back into a low tail. She'd changed out of her khakis and into a dress of some lilac-y material that shimmered and whispered as she moved…the look was completely set off by the pair of heavy walking boots and socks she wore.

"Wow. You look, uh, I mean-"

"I'd like to see Grace today." Hope said quietly, slinging a bag over her shoulder. "If that's alright?" She looked up and Norm was caught in the swirling emotions of her eyes before she seemed to collect herself and he was left, once again, clueless.

"Sure. We'll have to be back before sunset but that shouldn't be a problem." He shrugged, hands instinctively going to tuck into his back pockets and finding the way obstructed by the various implements he now carried as habit.

"What happens at sunset?" She asked, watching as he picked up one of the long sharpened spears that most of the humans carried.

"There's a festival, a feast, lots of dancing, singing, eating." He explained, nodding enthusiastically, last years had been awesome.

"Is it mandatory?" Hope asked dryly, obviously not sharing his enthusiasm. He looked at her quizzically. "I don't sing." The tone in her voice, for some reason, made him laugh and he shook his head.

"You don't have too." He pointed the way with his staff. "Ladies first." She smiled as she passed him, murmuring in a voice so low that he barely caught it.

"Who you callin' a lady?"

* * *

They'd been walking for quite some time, Norm had tuned out to Hopes happy babbling, watching as she darted ahead to study some new plant, flower or foliage before dropping behind him only to catch up and dart off again. He smiled to himself as he passed her for the sixth or seventh time, leaving her crouched beside a flower that was at least twice the size of her face and an ethereal almost see through white. He was surprised to find that he was actually enjoying himself, he'd nearly forgotten how beautiful Pandora was -

"OW! HOLY Mother of God!" Hopes yell trailed off into a whisper as she clutched at her hand, alternating between shaking it and putting it under her arm. Norm had turned instantly at the yelp and recognised the universal dance of impotent pain as she spun and stamped her feet.

"Let me see." He reached out but she flinched away, sulking and pouting like an overgrown child.

"No it hurts." She grouched at him. Norm had to really fight not to smile and reached out, noticing how she relaxed slightly once he had her hand in his. "Owowow-"

"Easy now, it's alright…it's just a sting." He looked down at the red swollen spot and saw that the sting, about three inches long and glossy black but almost as fine as a human hair. "Um, you might not want to watch this."

"_That_ is a sting?" Hope asked, dutifully turning her face away. "What kind of-"

"It's from a Gor'atan, just like a big big wasp really." He turned her hand this way and that, wondering if there was any way of extracting the sting without hurting her.

"Is there anything else on this planet that would like to kill me? Anything at all, why not take a pot shot while I'm out here in the open hmm?" She not-quite-yelled to the forest around them, she was angry not suicidal. "Any Thanators out there? I'd settle for a Titanothere or a viperWOOOOUCH!" She shriek as he yanked the sting, scrap of her skin and all and she pulled her hand out of his grip. She glared at him for a moment, tears of pain rimming her eyes before she relaxed, wordlessly giving her hand back to him. He held it gently, lightly, feeling the warmth of her blood seeping over his hand, as he searched in his bag for the salve that Neytiri had mixed up.

"Well you'll be out of here in a week and a bit, right?" He murmured as he spread the salve on her hand, watching as the bleeding stopped pretty much instantly. "Don't touch the salve, it'll semi-harden into a decent plaster." He said as he looked up at her again. She'd regained herself, watching him with curiosity…_am I __still__ holding her hand?_ At roughly the same moment the thought registered in his mind, Norm felt her gently pull away from his grip – was there an almost regretful look there as she brushed her dress off?

"Out of here. Yippee." She said dryly, moving away and pushing through the foliage. "Going back to an empty flat to survive on take-aways. Deep joy." Sarcasm dripped from every syllable. Norm's ears pricked up at that, some hitherto undiscovered piece of bravery provoked him into asking;

"Isn't there anyone back on Earth waiting for you?"

"No. Me and mom haven't spoken in years and I was an only child." Hope shrugged, speaking quietly as she leaned towards a plant, delicately touching one of the petals with the tip of her fingernail and smiling as it reacted with a dazzling display of scent and pollen. "No family, no friends, no boyfriend, no pets. Pretty much your ideal tenant."

"No boyfriend." Norm repeated without meaning too, surprised at the small warm feeling that made itself known…or maybe it was just the shard of sunlight that made its way through the trees, hitting his back to warm him through. Hope cleared her throat, stretching to stride across a stream – Norm tried really hard not to notice how the material of her dress tightened across certain curves…

"How about you?" She asked. "Seems like a pretty heartless thing to do, just coming out here and abandoning everyone for a people you hardly know." She murmured, taking a breath before lifting her mask to sip out of a water flask she pulled out of the bag at her side. Norm couldn't help but laugh a little at that, she certainly was straightforward.

"I studied the Na'vi for, well, a very long time before coming here. I was…"

"Already in love with them?" Hope said dryly. Norm glanced at her and, despite the raised eyebrow and tone of her voice, there was something in her expression that looked genuine. Almost as if she understood.

"Yeah. My dad died in the army and mom died a little while after him." Norm shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant about something that still raised a lump in his throat. "Anyway, yeah, we're here." He gestured with his staff and got a bit of a kick at the wonder that travelled across the doctors face.

The tree that stood in front of them was already the size of a three storey house and only, he had been assured by the elders of the Omaticaya, still a sapling. The leafy canopy was already warring with the other trees around it and the roots of the great trunk were already twining together, binding so that one day they would become the spiralling central column.

"It's huge." Hope said flatly. "What species is this?"

"I don't know exactly." He said, shrugging one shoulder in embarrassment. Hope turned to look at him, looking up at big brown eyes that were slowly starting to twinkle with enthusiasm…he was so very sweet that she really had to fight to squash a grin of her own as he continued to speak. "Since the death of the last Hometree, the interconnected network of Pandora's decided that a New Hometree should be around here. All these little energy tendrils just latched onto this one tree and pumped it full of goodness, it's grown at such a rapid rate that it's impossible. We think there's some kind of electronic pulse, a kind of bio-kinetic-computer…that…can…you must be bored silly." Norm seemed to catch himself mid-ramble and half laughed nervously. Hope just about resisted the urge to reach out and pat him, the sudden way his smile faltered and he cleared his throat capped it. "Uh Grace is…um, she's in there. We buried her amongst the roots. She was such a-a-a _big_ part of the old Hometree that we thought it would be…well, cool if she was part of the new one too." Norm said quietly, watching as Hopes face took on a whole new look, becoming stiff and closed as she looked up at the vast network of roots, they seemed to spiral upwards from the ground, already thick and strong and huge. Inside the network Hope could just see where a collection of flowers had been laid out, small and beautiful and somehow perfect, fiery red and spiky but with a soft yellow centre…they fitted Grace perfectly.

"Can you just…stay here, please?" Hope made a firm gesture.

"Sure, yeah, no problem." Norm nodded, relaxing slightly. He'd never been sure what to do around women, much less women who were crying and she looked ready to pop. He stood, leaning against his spear (ok so it sometimes doubled up as a staff too but all the others did it!) and listening to the sounds of the forest and _not_ what was happening behind him. He found himself smiling without meaning too, looking around at the place that just seemed so _alive_ and vital, the whole place smelled like life to him…of course, the smell of life had been when he was inside his own Avatar what with the air being toxic and all…sights and sounds weren't _quite_ as sharp as when he had been a human-Na'vi hybrid but still, it was enough to knock him off his feet and fall in love with the place all over again. He breathed deeply, letting the oxygen in the mask fill his lungs all the way down and briefly allowed himself to wish that he could smell the sweetness of the flowers or the damp earth. Ah well –

"K. We're cool." Hope emerged, having to hold her breath in order to wipe her nose on a tissue that emerged from and returned to her little bag before replacing the mask. "Done what I had to do. We going now?" She walked right past him, marching straight off the path and into the forest but not before Norm had caught sight of the redness of her eyes and the blotchiness of her skin. She was not an attractive crier. He let her blunder onwards for a moment, knowing that the path wasn't far behind him, until she stopped so suddenly that he very nearly collided with the back of her, only just regaining his balance as she turned to face him. "Where the hell am I going?" She snapped and, for a moment, sounded so much like Grace that he just pointed the way back, watching after her as she ambled back.

"So…" He said awkwardly.

"Thank you." She practically snapped, her shoulders taunt as she ducked beneath a branch. "For taking me to…to see…to my…thanks." She stumbled, her voice rising in pitch slightly as she spoke. Norm reached out and touched her arm. It was like a trigger, her shoulders relaxed instantly and he barely had time to register it before she turned and clung to him, silent but shaking.

"Um, there there?" He tried. That seemed to work as the noises she was making took on an entirely different tone and she leaned back, reaching under the mask to wipe away her tears before she continued laughing. "What?" He asked defensively (so defensively in fact that it came out more like 'whaaaaaaat?').

"There there?" She asked, grinning up at him. "Could you have come up with something _less_ original?" She teased. Norm let one side of his mouth rise in a quirky grin of his own, shrugging one shoulder.

"What would you have liked me to say?" He rolled his eyes as they headed back. "Don't cry you'll drown inside your mask?"

"Drowning would have been original." She nodded, lifting the hem of her skirt to step over a log. "'Stop crying or I'll spank you' would have passed too." Norm blushed brightly, glad that she was walking slightly ahead of him, as all sorts of interesting mental imagery popped into his minds eye and played merry hell with his pulse.

"Uh, sure." He mumbled, clearing his throat. "You've been here a day and I'm already finding out how kinky you are." He said, attempting to embarrass her just as much as she had embarrassed him.

"There are so many replies to that I just can't pick one." She shot back over her shoulder. Norm grinned to himself. It was fun having someone to play verbal games with again, he'd lost his touch since Grace had…of course, everything was different with Hope. Norm stopped in his tracks at that thought; _Different? Why was everything different? She was just as acidic, untouchable, off-limits but sexier- Whoa, Norm, Sexier?_ What- "Are you coming, tall boy, or what?" Hope called to him from somewhere up ahead. Thrown into confusion and thinking more than paying attention to where he was going, Norm followed after her.


End file.
